Indian cricket entered a new era on Saturday as the BCCI unveiled the squad for the upcoming five-match Test series in England, confirming Shubman Gill as the new Test captain. The announcement not only marked the dawn of India’s fourth ICC World Test Championship cycle but also signified a generational shift; for the first time in over a decade, the Test squad features neither Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, nor Ravichandran Ashwin, all of whom bid farewell to the format within the last six months.
Gill, 25, takes over the reins from Rohit Sharma, who called time on his 11-year Test career earlier this month after playing 67 Tests and scoring over 4,300 runs. Kohli had stunned the cricketing world with his retirement roughly a week later, bringing to a close an illustrious career that spanned 123 Tests and defined an era. With Ashwin also retiring in December last year, India now enters a transitional phase ahead of a demanding English summer.
Among the key inclusions was that of Karun Nair, who makes a return to the squad after over 8 years, having last played for India in March 2017 during the home series against Australia. Nair was rewarded for his stunning performances in domestic cricket in the previous season, where he played a key role in guiding Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy title win. Nair finished with 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy with an average of over 53.
The tour, scheduled from June to August 2025, will see India play five Tests at iconic venues — Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval. This is India’s first bilateral red-ball series since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where the side faced a 3-1 loss. The result denied India a third-straight shot at the World Test Championship, with Australia and South Africa qualifying for June’s final.
Among the fresh faces in the squad are left-handed opener Sai Sudharsan and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, both earning their maiden Test call-ups. Arshdeep has long been a permanent fixture in India’s white-ball squads, and his consistent performances, along with his natural variations, boosted his case for a maiden Test call-up. Sudharsan, meanwhile, has been among the most consistent youngsters in Indian domestic circuit, and has also played for India in limited-overs formats.
The build-up to the series includes three India ‘A’ matches against England Lions, starting May 30 in Canterbury. Abhimanyu Easwaran has been named captain for those matches, with Dhruv Jurel as vice-captain. Notably, Gill and Sudharsan will join the ‘A’ squad ahead of the second fixture, offering them an early taste of English conditions before the senior series begins.
India’s squad:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Kuldeep Yadav
